Shadow of Empire
Plot Summary Arkarin Blackhawk and the crew of the Wolf's Claw are hired by Marshal Augustin Lucerne to rescue his kidnapped daughter, Astra Lucerne. Blackhawk kills the kidnapper, rescuing Astra. The book starts with Blackhawk in a pit on Kalishar, sentenced to death, as the kidnapper was working for the Ka'al (Tarn Belgarin). Blackhawk orders the Wolf's Claw to escape, bringing Asra Lucerne back to her father. Blackhawk fights the creature sent after him, killing it. The Ka'al is outraged, and tries again to kill Blackhawk. The crew of the Wolf's Claw are extremely loyal, and refuse to escape. They fly back to the pit and rescue Blackhawk. Tarn Belgarin sends his ships after the Wolf's Claw, but are unable to catch it, only damage it. The Wolf's Claw escapes narrowly, but cannot remain in hyperspace for long, as the hyperdrive was damaged fighting the Kalishar ships. The Wolf's Claw is forced to stop at Saragossa, and make repairs. Unfortunately, Saragossa is in the middle of a civil war, and has been redlined by the trade guilds. While entering the atmosphere, Blackhawk recognizes another ship landing as an imperial spy craft. He starts to formulate a plan to steal their hyperdrive and escape. Marshal Augustin Lucerne of Celtiboria manages to unify the planet taking it back from the warlords. He pretends to establish a republic, but really becomes a military dictator. He begins to talk with Danellan Lancaster about creating his dream of a Far Stars Confederation, able to resist the empire. Blackhawk lands on Saragossa, using the cloaking abilities of the Wolf's Claw to hide it, leaving Astra, Lucas Lancaster (The pilot), and the Twins behind to guard the ship. He then leads Sarge and his men, Ace Graythorn, Shira Tarkus, Sam Sparks, Doc, and Katharina Venturi through Saragossa. In a burnt out city, Blackhawk meets the leader of a splinter group of the revolutionaries, Arn, and befreinds him. They can work together, as Arn knows where the imperial ship landed, and tells Blackhawk about how his group left the original revolutionaries because they had become worse than the nobles who they were trying to overthrow. The original revolutionaries had then gotten a shipment of high tech weapons. The splinter group also know that the spacecraft had landed in New Vostok, a revolutionary city. Blackhawk and Are make a plan to enter the city. They enter the city, making their way to the spaceport where Arn wants to steal the new weapons, and Blackhawk wants to steal the hyperdrive. The noble forces, made up of mercenary armies, mount an offensive on the city. They open a hole in the revolutionary defenses, and send in the Black Helms, led by General Carano, to steal the imperial weapons which they also want for themselves. Blackhawk manages to kill an imperial agent outside the spaceport (most likely Andreus Sand), and then enters the spaceport. Him and Ace Graythorn disable the spy craft, while Sarge and his men enter with Sam Sparks to take the hyperdrive. Shira Tarkus is sent to find a getaway vehicle. The revolutionaries come to attack the spaceport, and a battle erupts between Arn and the revolutionaries. Black hawk tells his crew to escape on the stolen garbage truck that Tarkus found, while he helps Arn with the new weapons to hold off the revolutionaries. When the battle is lost, Arn refuses to retreat, and is killed along with his men. Blackhawk is knocked unconscious by an explosion. Carano comes into the spaceport and takes out the revolutionaries, and he recognizes Blackhawk. Carano takes Blackhawk back to the Chateau (headquarters of Elisibetta Lementov, leader of the noble forces) and prepares to interrogate him. Meanwhile, Tarkus stays behind secretly to help Blackhawk, and follows Carano's men back to the Chateau. Blackhawk is suspected by Carano to be helping the revolutionaries, and Carano tortures him to get the information out of him. Blackhawk takes Carano hostage (Carano got cocky and came too close, so Blackhawk siezed the moment) and uses Carano to guide him trough the Chateau. While Sam is installing the hyperdrive, Ace leads a team to rescue Blackhawk, telling Lucas Lancaster to get Astra back to Celtiboria. He meets up with Tarkus and finds a way into the Chateau through an old sewer. Blackhawk is cornered by house guards of Elisibetta, but is saved when Ace blasts through them and saves Blackhawk. They all retreat to a room, and hold it, until the revolutionaries approach the Chateau, and an alliance is forced with the noble forces. Blackhawk leads the mercenary armies, and holds the Chateau from the overwhelming numbers of the revolutionary armies for a little, but soon the forces are too large. Blackhawk attempts to hold the Chateau, but the revolutionaries are far too many. As soon as the Wolf's Claw is out of the atmosphere, Astra Lucerne forces Lucas to turn back and help Blackhawk, as Astra has developed feelings for Blackhawk. Lucas finds the battle, and gets Astra to drop bombs on the revolutionary army. The army retreats back into New Vostok. Another imperial ship approaches Saragossa to investigate the disappearance of Andreus Sand, led by Making Wilhem. The eighteen ships from Kalishar also have started to search Saragossa for the Wolf's Claw, led by the newly appointed Admiral Kharn. Blackhawk escapes in the Wolf's Claw out of the atmosphere, where the Kalishar ships are waiting. The Wolf's Claw sustains some damage, but can still make the jump to Celtiboria. Although Wilhem and Kharn both follow the Wolf's Claw to Celtiboria, a cruiser squadron from Celtiboria intercept them and destroy half of the Kalishar ships before they escaspe. Wilhem also escapes. Astra is returned to her father. Agustin Lucerne asks Blackhawk to help him create the Far Stars Federation, but Blackhawk refuses, as he is still haunted by a mysterious past. Blackhawk then gets back on the Wolf's Claw, and attempts to escape. The Kalishar ships intercept them, and score a few hits, but the Wolf's Claw manages to make the jump back to Celtiboria. Wilhem and the Kalishar ships follow, but when in range of Celtiboria, C ol